Donate Homemade Masks

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Monroe County Department of Health recommend wearing cloth face coverings in public settings to slow the spread of COVID-19.

MORE THAN 50,000 HOMEMADE MASKS ARE NEEDED FOR NONPROFIT STAFF AND CLIENTS — AND WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Donate homemade masks at any Goodwill location and United Way will distribute to local nonprofits for their staff and clients.

DONATE HOMEMADE FACE COVERINGS/MASKS

Nonprofits throughout our region are working to keep their staff and clients safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic — and they need our help. Based on the recommendations from the CDC for all people to wear face coverings/masks in public spaces, there is an increased demand for homemade face coverings/masks.

If you are able to sew or make additional homemade face coverings/masks to donate, see below for instructions for how you can be a United Way #MaskMaker #MonroeMaskMaker.

CALLING ALL MASK MAKERS

Nonprofits need your help now more than ever. Here's how you can help.

STEP 1
Follow the instructions from the CDC below on how to make homemade masks.

STEP 2
Give some to your friends, family and neighbors, and keep some for yourself.

STEP 3
If you have extra cloth face coverings/masks you can donate, please deliver to the United Way Mask Maker collection bins at the following Goodwill Stores and Donation Centers (see below for delivery days and times).

STEP 4
Post a picture of you donating cloth face coverings/masks on social media with #MaskMakers or #MonroeMaskMakers so we can give you a big thank you! We appreciate your suppport of our community in response to COVID-19.

Donations also accepted at the Wyoming County Emergency Operations Center
Call (585) 786-8911 or email OEM@wyomingco.net to arrange for a pickup or dropoff.

HOW TO MAKE AND WEAR HOMEMADE FACE COVERINGS/MASKS

The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators. Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance. Cloth face coverings can be fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost.

HOW TO SEW HOMEMADE MASKS

You can sew homemade masks for yourself, your family, friends, neighbors, and/or to donate to your community (see more below on where to donate).

HOW TO WEAR CLOTH FACE COVERINGS/MASKS

When you wear a cloth face covering/mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19 it is important to use it and dispose of it properly.

According to the CDC, cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.

The use of cloth face coverings will not prevent infection but will help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.

In this rapidly developing medical emergency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Monroe County Department of Health are now recommending that people wear face masks or other cloth face coverings when out in public in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus. For more information, and for the most up-to-date recommendations, please visit the CDC’s website (https://www.cdc.gov/) and the Monroe County Department of Health’s website (https://www2.monroecounty.gov/health-index.php).

Given the worldwide shortage of medical-grade facemasks, the CDC and Monroe County are recommending that people use homemade cloth face coverings. The use of cloth face coverings may not prevent infection but may help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.

The cloth face coverings described on this site are non-surgical and non-medical face coverings, and are not intended or approved for medical or healthcare applications, and should be used only as alternatives during periods of time when FDA-approved masks are not available. These products have not been reviewed or approved by any governmental or regulatory authority for any purpose and the extent to which they may prevent the transmission of disease is still unknown.